Biting, although common in young children, is very upsetting for everyone and can be a potentially harmful behavior.  It happens for different reasons with different children and under different circumstances.  Biting generally is a transient behavior and usually diminishes as language skills increase. It’s important to understand why children bite, and what you can do to prevent and respond to biting when it occurs in your classroom. 

Why Children Bite

• Children explore their environment by tasting or “mouthing”.  They may not recognize the difference between gnawing on a toy and biting someone.
• Children try to express their independence and want to feel a sense of control. Biting can be a powerful way to control others!
• Babies' mouths are sore when teething; biting feels good. 
• Children may be trying to approach or initiate interaction with another child. 
• Children can be seeking attention; biting is a quick way to get negative attention!
• Children get angry or frustrated and may not have the words to express feelings.
• Children experiment and want to know what will happen if they bite (cause and effect). 
• Children can feel threatened or stressed; biting can relieve tension.

Use the “Who, What, When, Where and How” method to pinpoint the problem.

• Who did the biting? Who was bitten?  Was anyone else involved?
• What happened just before and just after the biting occurred?
• When did the biting occur?
• Where did it happen?
• How was the situation handled?

Strategies to Prevent Biting 

• Provide babies with objects to mouth such as teething toys or frozen bagels. 
• Give children opportunities to express their independence and gain feelings of control by providing them plenty of choices, such as what to wear that day, what toy to choose, or what to eat for snack. 
• For very young children, have plenty of toys available in case they don’t have the skills to share or take turns.
• Make sure children have plenty of opportunities to interact with one another.   
• Support and acknowledge children's positive interactions. 
• Give children lots of attention during the day; cuddle with them, play with them, and read to them. 
• Be aware of children's feelings; watch for signs of potential conflict and increasing frustration. 
• Provide children with activities and toys that offer a variety of sensorimotor experiences, such as water play, play-doh, and fingerpainting to relieve tension. 
• Help children learn about cause and effect using toys and manipulatives, not their teeth! 
• Assure children that they are safe and that their possessions are safe.

Strategies for Responding to Biting

Sometimes prevention efforts do not stop children from biting. When a child bites another person, the adults in charge should calmly and consistently respond to each biting episode; specific strategies and ideas are listed below.

• Give immediate attention to the child who was bitten.  Comfort the child; put on an ice pack to prevent bruising, and clean the wound if the skin is broken.
• Keep interaction with the child (biter) to a minimum to avoid rewarding the biter with attention, even if it is negative attention.  Quickly, move the biter to an isolated spot in the classroom for a minute before processing other behaviors.  When the child has calmed down, give an alternative to biting.  For example, say, “It is not okay to bite when you want a toy.  Use words to tell Joey that you want to use the toy”.  Role play (practice) the new behavior between the biter and the other child.
• State clearly to the biter that it is not okay to bite and that biting hurts someone else.  Use your voice and facial expression to express disapproval and indicate that biting is unacceptable.  Make eye contact if possible.  For preverbal children, you may want to touch the biter’s mouth when giving feedback.
• If possible, have the child who did the biting help care for the child who was bitten.  Making her part of the comforting process can teach nurturing behaviors and reassure the victim that he won’t be bitten again.
• Look for patterns of biting in the environment and in the child’s emotional state. For instance, does the child bite near mealtime, when the environment gets too loud, when he is crowded by other children, or when he is frustrated, hungry, or tired? 
• Try to identify changes in the child's life that might trigger the biting, such as a recent parental divorce, birth of a new sibling, or move to a new home. 
• If you know a child is prone to biting, it is very important that an adult stay in close proximity to be able to intervene quickly and to protect potential victims.  If you can catch the biter in the process (before the bite occurs), interrupt the behavior and give immediate feedback.  For preverbal children, use kind but firm redirection, verbalize her intention before showing her another way. 
• If the biting does not stop or if it becomes more vicious, seek help from others, such as your pediatrician, the childcare program director, or a behavior specialist.
• Do NOT hit, bite back, use hot sauce, or wash the child’s mouth out with soap.  This may encourage imitation of biting and teach the child that this aggressive, hurtful behavior is appropriate under certain circumstances.

References:

www.missourifamilies.org/quick/childcareqa/childcareqa14.htm 

www.nncc.org/Guidance/bit.hurt.html

www.naeyc.org/resources/eyly/1996/08.htm

Nelsen, J., Lott, L. & Glenn, H.S. (1999).  Positive Discipline A-Z, 2^nd edition.  Rocklin, CA:  Prima Publishing.

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